The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential run in 2000.

Pacific Green Party candidates have won elected office mostly at the local level; most winners of public office in Oregon who are considered Greens have won nonpartisan-ballot elections (that is, elected to positions for which no candidate is listed with any party on the ballot.Template:Fact

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The party was founded as the Pacific Party in 1992,Template:Fact largely in response of the failure of the Democratic Party to provide meaningful opposition to the 1991 Gulf War.Template:Fact The name "Pacific" was chosen to reflect both the party's belief in regional decision-making and its commitment to peace.Template:Fact Although the state party always aligned with the international Green movement, including hosting the founding convention of the Association of State Green Parties in Portland in 1998, the word "Green" was not added to the party's name until 1999.Template:Fact

Many of the party's early electoral candidates were also highly involved in the forest protection movement. These included candidate for United States Senate Lou Gold in 1994; Joe Keating for Congress and Andy Davis for state representative in 1996; and Blair Bobier for governor and Karen Moskowitz for U.S. Senate in 1998.Template:Fact Davis and Keating were arrested for civil disobedience at the United States Forest Service office building in downtown Portland during the campaign, chaining themselves to a desk along with local activist attorney Stu Sugarman. This action was followed by activist Tre Arrow's ledge-sit at the same building several years later.Template:Fact Moskowitz has been visible at various Earth First! gatherings and is a well-known economist who proved that the Forest Service sells public timber at less than the public expense of administering timber sales.Template:Fact

In 2000, in addition to nominating Ralph Nader for the Presidency, the Green Party nominated environmental activist Tre Arrow to run for Template:Ushr against incumbent Earl Blumenauer. Arrow had gained prominence in July 2000 by staging a high-profile protest in downtown Portland, Oregon, when he scaled a United States Forest Service building and lived on a ledge for 11 days to protest the plan to log Eagle Creek. His protest played an important role in reversing the Forest Service's plans to log the area.Template:Fact In 2001 Arrow appeared on the FBI's "most wanted" list in connection with arson, and other activities of the Earth Liberation Front. Arrow is currently in custody in Canada, and is facing extradition to the States.

In 2004, Teresa Keane, the Green Party's candidate for the United States Senate, won 2.4% of the vote – more than any other Green candidate for the U.S. Senate in that year. In 2006 Keane was elected Chair of the newly formed Green Senatorial Campaign Committee (GSCC),[1] a seven-member committee elected by the National Committee of the Green Party of the United States to raise funds for senate candidates.[2]